Valley Solutions

So much rain already!

Fresno Bee. Record day of rain hits Fresno, other parts of Valley; snow falls at Shaver Lake.
Synopsis: By noon Tuesday, Fresno had gotten 1.04 inches of rain – easily a record for Oct. 14. The most rain for this date previously was 0.48 inches in 1935. Up the hill, snow was making roads slick and contributing to spinouts.
MAD Note: This story doesn’t mention it, but there were similar amounts of rainfall reported across the Valley, from Escalon (1.26 by Wednesday morning) to Modesto (1.11 inches) to 1.27 inches in Los Banos.

CA’s original ‘freedom fighter’

Turlock Journal. Chief Estanislao, a true CA freedom fighter, who went up against tyranny. 
Synopsis: Columnist Dennis Wyatt writes with passion about Chief Estanislao’s last stand, which he says came at what is now Caswell Memorial State Park near Ripon. Estanislao’s was a “battle for justice.” He started life as Cucuncuhi of the Lakisamni Tribe of Yokuts. He was “invited” by the friars to live at the Mission de San Jose and rechristened Estanislao. Soon enough, he led an uprising against the friars and state authorities. He often returned to the mission with some members of the 400 people in his village, in “raids” to secure food. He never killed anyone. By the time the Mexican Army came for him, writes Wyatt, there were 4,000 people living in his village near Ripon. He died there, fighting for “the independence of Californians.”

Merced citizens to draw the lines

Valley Sun. Newsom signs bill creating Merced County independent redistricting commission.
Synopsis: After 2030, Merced County supervisors will turn over the redrawing of voter districts to a citizens committee. That’s because Gov. Newsom signed AB 1441, written by Assemblymember Esmeralda Soria, to create an 11-member commission based proportionally on membership in the county’s major parties. The process will be the same as that used in Fresno and Kern counties.

Outrageous car fees vetoed

Cal Matters. Newsom vetoes car dealers’ bill to hike fees on buyers. 
Synopsis: Some people might not realize that car dealers charge you $85 just to fill out the paperwork when you buy a car – new or used. While the fee was once considered just part of selling a car, now it is a cost passed onto consumers. The state capped such “nuisance” fees at $85 in 2015. Dealers say that’s too low and inveighed on legislators to raise the cap to $260. But tripling charges for what is basically data-entry rankled the Governor, who noted that submitting paperwork to the state has become easier. So, he vetoed SB 791. Dealers were disappointed, saying California’s paperwork charge is one of the lowest in the nation.
MAD Take: This bill was sponsored by Sen. Dave Cortese and co-authored by legislators Bob Archuleta, Angelique Ashby, Megan Dahle, Lena Gonzalez, Tony Strickland, Phil Chen and Heath Flora. Their rationale was that the state requires 113 different documents for each sale. Seems like a lot. But if that’s too many, surely the dealers deserve some blame for having indulged in sales practices that require so much oversight. And wouldn’t a better solution be to reduce paperwork rather than increase fees?

Not interested in her video

KSEE / CBS47. Fresno’s airport is not airing Kristi Noem’s shutdown video.
Synopsis: Fresno’s airport is joining dozens of others across the nation in refusing to show a video message made by Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem that blames Democrats for the government shutdown. The video was intended to anger people waiting in long TSA lines at airports and maybe the TSA employees – who are all working without pay. Airports across Northern CA – Oakland, San Jose, San Francisco, Stockton and Sacramento – are refusing to show the video. The Fresno airport says only that it emphasizes safety content over political messages.

Casino, hospital … but first wells

Modesto Focus. Stanislaus casino-hospital idea resurfaces as well approved for vacant airbase.
Synopsis: Reporter Garth Stapley checks in on Supervisor Channce Condit’s vision of bringing a tribal casino to the former Crows Landing Naval Air Station. He notes that the board of supervisors approved $28 million to drill two wells and set up storage tanks and water treatment at the site. After two decades of planning, Supervisor Terry Withrow is wondering when something tangible will come from the county’s $43 million investment (so far). While the wells might spark interest in the business park, they will also make water more reliable for the Crows Landing community. As for a casino to help drive the building of a hospital, well, no one has said “no” yet.

Fun with Labubus and Ninjas

Modesto Bee. A vending machine full of Labubus and Crybabies? Pop Mart arrives in Modesto.
Synopsis: Folks are lining up at Pop Mart machines that specialize in selling collectibles, from Skullpanda to Dimoo. But that’s not all. You can also find bags, plushies, accessories and more. It all comes from China, as does the vending machine. There are 2,300 Robo Shops around the world, including the one in Modesto. Until last week, the closest was at Stoneridge Shopping Center in Pleasanton.

Merced Daily (Facebook). Fun City coming to Atwater.
Synopsis: An indoor entertainment and adventure park is being planned for 1089 Bellevue Road in Atwater. It will feature trampolines, foam pits, climbing walls and “Ninja Warrior” obstacle courses. It appears to be the old Kmart, according to comments.

Caballero’s water bill signed

Western Farm Press. Newsom signs bill setting water-supply targets; will it help farmers?
Synopsis: Gov. Newsom signed Anna Caballero’s bill to require the state to set water-storage targets. The reasoning is that having better targets will require better data and that will better inform the allocation process – which too often resembles a last-call crapshoot. Farm groups think it will help and Big Green groups say it won’t hurt. That’s a basis for cooperation. Senior Editor Tim Hearden writes that Newsom is signaling “a recognition by the state that the development of natural resources for the benefit of people is important.”

40,000 ag acres protected

Maven. California protects over 40K acres of agricultural land, supporting rural communities. 
Synopsis: Gov. Newsom announced that $128 million will fund 52 grants across 24 counties to permanently protect 40,000 acres of range and cropland. Several of the grants, worth millions of dollars, came to protect land in the San Joaquin Valley. The largest single purchase -- $5.15 million for 9,872 acres – will be turned over to the CA Rangeland Trust in Madera County. The Trust also gained protection for parcels of 165 and 157 acres in Stanislaus and parcels of 69 and 79 acres in Merced counties. Sequoia Riverland Trust got 137 acres in Fresno County. The American Farmland Trust got 155 acres in Stanislaus and 273 acres in Madera.

Hoping for 250 in Turlock

Turlock Journal. ‘No Kings’ rally returns to Turlock.
Synopsis: Joe Cortez writes about plans for the No Kings rally from 1-3 pm Saturday at Monte Vista Crossings. The Turlock Democratic Club and Be the Change Turlock are organizing the protest, hoping to have 250 people express their opinions about Donald Trump. They’ve already had sign-making parties.

New stadium for Madera High

ABC30. Madera High School’s Memorial Stadium set to be completely renovated.
Synopsis: Madera Unified will spend $32 million to demolish the school’s old football stadium then build a new one at Madera High School. The new stadium will have locker rooms, showers, a concession stand and a new track with jump and pole-vault pits. The new stadium will echo the 1948 stadium, moving home fans to the north side of the field. Demolition starts Oct. 20; the new stadium will take 18 months to complete.

Go Granny, go!

SF Chronicle. A 59-year-old grandmother is claiming a speed record on Pacific Crest Trail. 
Synopsis: Julie Brock, a 59-year-old grandmother from Australia, completed the Pacific Crest Trail in just under 70 days – a record. Brock spends her summers in the US and in three years has completed the triple crown of hiking – the Appalachian Trail, the Continental Divide Trail and now the PCT. Brock averaged 39 miles a day while mostly walking alone and carrying little weight. Her partner paced her progress in an RV, carrying supplies that included nightly tubs of ice cream to keep up her energy. Brock said she was overweight and a heavy smoker before turning to ultrarunning 7 years ago. “It wasn’t all roses and rainbows out there,” said the woman who is blind in one eye.